THE BEST WAY to have fun as a tourist is to plan and prepare. Doing both means
you’ll have more time to enjoy your limited time as a tourist in another
country, and will save you a lot of money.
It also
means making an effort to know more about the country you’re visiting. That’s a
lot easy these days. You can go to YouTube for videos; read about your
destination on the Internet and use your Facebook account to connect with your
friends who’ve visited the country.
When
you plan and prepare your trip to South Korea, you’ll discover that the
Philippines and South Korea share a very deep historical bond. The ties that
bind the Philippines to South Korea are so strong we can consider these countries
as brothers, or “hyeongje” in Hangul, the Korean language.
The
Philippines is the older brother or “hyung” (“kuya” in Filipino) while South
Korea is the younger brother or “dong saeng.” And why is this so, you might
ask? Why is the Philippines “hyung” to South Korea, a country that is today one
of the 15 richest nations in the world?
It’s
because of historical facts that most Filipinos don’t know about even today.
South Korea, or more specifically the Republic of Korea, came into existence
only on August 15, 1948. The independent state of Korea was conquered by the
Empire of Japan in 1910, and for the next 35 years was ruled by Japan with a
brutality that shocked the world.
The
formerly independent state of Korea was divided into two by the Allies: the
northern portion was a communist entity called North Korea while the southern
portion or South Korea was administered by the United Nations.
In
September 1947, a proposal by the Philippines at the United Nations helped
guarantee South Korea’s first general election that led directly to the
creation of the Republic of Korea on August 15, 1948.
Six
months later or on March 3, 1949, the Philippines became the first Asian state
to open diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea. The Philippines was a “ninong”
(godfather) to South Korea at its birth.
In a
letter to President Elpidio Quirino, Syngman Rhee, first President of South
Korea, said of the Philippines:
“As a
nation which courageously and with high vision stood resolutely in the
forefront of the international movement to re-establish the sovereignty
resident in the people of Korea, your generous and forthright extension of
recognition to Korea comes as a happy augury of cordial relationships of our
two peoples.”
Fifteen
months later or on June 25, 1950, communist North Korea launched a massive and
surprise invasion of South Korea, igniting the Korean War. South Korea asked
the world for aid and the Philippines immediately responded.
The
Philippines rushed food, medical supplies, tanks and weapons to South Korea in
the weeks after the communist invasion. On August 7, President Elpidio Quirino
announced the decision to send Filipino soldiers to South Korea to save it from
communist conquest.
The
Philippines became the first Asian nation to send troops to defend South Korea,
and the fourth member state of the United Nations to do so.
On
September 19, 1950, less than three months after the start of the Korean War,
the first Filipino warriors landed in Korea at the port city of Busan. The 10th
Battalion Combat Team (BCT) was the first of five Filipino BCTs that would
serve in Korea from 1950 to 1955 under the Philippine Expeditionary Force to
Korea or PEFTOK.
In all,
some 7,400 Filipino soldiers served in Korea. Of this total, 112 died in defense
of South Korea; some 400 were wounded while 16 Filipinos remain
missing-in-action until today. The Philippines paid a heavy price as “hyung” or
“kuya” to South Korea, its “dong saeng.”
A
history of the Philippines’ role in the Korean War is on the Internet at www.peftok.blogspot.com.
Never forgotten
South
Koreans of today have not forgotten the sacrifice Filipinos made for them
during the Korean War. And they remain thankful for our courage and humanity
that helped save their nation from communist conquest.
Remember
this when you visit South Korea. Be proud to be Filipino in South Korea because
there would be no South Korea today if the Philippines and 15 other United
Nations’ countries hadn’t sent their soldiers to the Korean War.
I
discovered this first-hand during a “Revisit” to South Korea in May 2012 along
with five Filipino veterans of the Korean War and the children and
grandchildren of other veterans.
A
husband and wife in our group said they were walking down a street in downtown
Seoul when an elderly Korean woman old enough to be a grandmother approached
them. The Korean noticed the identification cards both wore around their neck
that said “Korean War Veteran” and that bore a symbol of the National Flag.
“Filipino?”
the Korean asked.
When
they replied “Yes,” the Korean began bowing and thanking them for helping her
country during the Korean War.
“She
kept thanking and thanking us so much we were embarrassed,” said the wife.
“It was
only then we began to understand the importance of what the Philippines did for
Korea,” noted her husband.
Both of
them agreed it felt very good to be a Filipino that day.
Korea is for Filipinos
South
Korea is a wonderful country for tourists. That’s why it was visited by over
eight million tourists in 2011, a number twice that of the Philippines’.
Tourists
visit South Korea for two main reasons: shopping and culture. Filipinos will
find both in Seoul. The combination of shopping and culture makes Seoul, a megacity
of 10 million persons, Korea’s top tourist destination. Seoul is the best
choice to start your visit to South Korea.
The
Korea Tourism Organization has a list of the top 10 tourist spots in South
Korea. Three of these favorites are in Seoul. One other favorite is Jeju
Island.
The top
tourist destination in South Korea isn’t a place. It’s an activity that women
love. Yes, it’s shopping and shopping is Korea’s Number One tourist draw.
The
most popular shopping sites for tourists in Seoul are the Namdaemun Market in
Jung-gu (or Jung District); Dongdaemun Market in Jongno-gu; Myeongdong (or
Myeong Neighborhood in Jung-gu) and Insadong in Jongno-gu.
Shopping
isn’t cheap in South Korea (as I and my travel buddies found out) but Filipinos
are convinced that the high quality of Korean products is a good buy despite
their upmarket cost. Remember that P1.00 is worth 26 Korean Won (as of
mid-November 2012).
But
since only very few banks and money changers will exchange our Peso for the
Won, you’ll have to bring U.S. Dollars instead. The conversion rate is
generally US$1.00 equals 1,000 Won. A can of Coke costs about 1,000 Won.
Blouses at the Doota Fashion Mall in Dongdaemun sell at around 30,000 to 35,000
won.
Almost
always at the top of the Filipina tourist’s shopping list in Seoul is “BB Cream,”
the original Korean versions. Our lovely Korean tour guide said she uses it every
day and revealed it’s the main reason why many Korean women seem to have such
enviable, flawless skin.
The
letters “BB” in BB Cream has many meanings: blemish balm, blemish base and even
“beblesh balm.” Whatever the true meaning, BB Cream is incredibly popular in
Korea, accounting for some 13% of the Korean cosmetics industry’s total sales.
The
other two top tourist attractions in Seoul are cultural sites: the Korean Folk Village and the Ancient
Palaces. I’ve visited both these places and they gave me invaluable insights
into Korea’s glorious imperial past.
The Korean
Folk Village is a recreation of a Korean village of the Joseon Dynasty that
ruled Korea from 1392 to 1897. There are some 260 traditional houses in the
village, which was built to promote Korean culture and folk customs.
There
are Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty in Seoul. My group visited the
famous Gyeongbokgung Palace located in Jongno-gu. The palace is also known as
Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace.
The
magnificent palace is the main and largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces
built by the Joseon Dynasty. Today, it is also famous for the daily “Changing
of the Royal Guards” ceremony that takes place at the Gwanghwamun and
Heungnyemun plazas beginning 3:00 p.m.
The
royal guards, or the “Wanggung Sumunjang,” had the important duty of protecting
the Korean king. Posing with these stern and bearded guards is a favorite among
tourists, some of whom try to make these unsmiling men smile but without
success.
While
in Seoul make it a point to visit and have your picture taken at two monuments
that honor the Philippines’ fast friendship with South Korea.
The
first is the War Memorial of Korea, a massive museum in Seoul’s Yongsan-gu
district that memorializes the military history of Korea. Opened in 1994, the
memorial building has six indoor exhibition rooms and an outdoor exhibition
center displaying over 13,000 war memorabilia and military equipment.
Ascending
the incline towards the memorial building first takes you to a hallway on whose
walls are inscribed the names of the United Nations soldiers who died defending
South Korea. The brass plaque for the Philippines has on it the names of the
112 Filipino soldiers who did not come home from the Korean War. Located at the
second floor of the building is the hall housing the exhibit about the Korean
War, including an exhibit about the Philippines’ role in the war.
The
other monument is a gymnasium. The Jangchung Gymnasium in Jung-gu was built in
1963 by the Philippines for South Korea. The 7,000 seat gymnasium is South
Korea’s first ever indoor sports arena. It was built during the administration
of President Diosdado Macapagal as part of our economic aid to South Korea,
then a third world economy.
That
the Philippines could afford to send economic aid to South Korea in the 1960s
underlined the Philippines’ status as Southeast Asia’s leading economic and
military power and Asia’s second largest economy. Jangchung stands proud as a
symbol of Filipino humanity. The 50th Anniversary of its
construction takes place this year.
It was
a venue for the taekwondo (a demonstration event introduced here) and judo
competitions from Sept. 17 to 20 during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Ironically, the South Korean who won the taekwondo flyweight gold medal
defeated a Filipino for the title at Jangchung.
But the
most moving monument to Filipino greatness and humanity is the “Monument
Dedicated to the Philippine Armed Forces in the Korean War” located in Goyang
City, which is a 20 minute drive to the north of Seoul.
It was
unveiled on October 2, 1974 “. . . in memory of the members of the Philippine
Armed Forces who fought to defend the security and freedom of the Republic of
Korea.”
The
monument, now painted a glistening black, stands 17 meters tall. It is
dominated by the life-sized statues of three Filipino soldiers representing the
men of PEFTOK. The soldiers stand before a central column whose relief
illustrates Filipino culture. The relief at the monument’s 4.5 meter long base depicts
50 Koreans portraying their country’s struggle for freedom and peace.
Wonderful Jeju
For
tourists who love nature and who want an exotic adventure outside of Seoul, however,
a trip to Jeju Island or the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province in the Korea
Strait off the coast of southern Korea is to be considered.
Jeju
receives over six million tourists (mostly South Koreans) every year making it one
of the most popular domestic tourist destinations. A semi-tropical island, Jeju
is a tourist island much like Boracay. Its temperature is in the high 20s
(Centigrade), almost similar to that of Boracay’s.
Jeju
has its own version of Boracay’s world famous “White Beach.” The white sand at Jeju’s
“Hyeopjae Beach” on the island’s northwest comes from the large amounts of
crushed seashells mixed in with the sand. Boracay’s famous powdery white sand,
on the other hand, is powdered coral and sand.
Also
called the “Island of the Gods” and “Honeymoon Island” (for obvious reasons), Jeju
was voted one of the World’s Seven Natural Wonders in 2011 along with the
Philippines’ Underground River in Palawan.
Jeju
has the tallest mountain (Mount Halla or “Hallasan”) in Korea. Jeju is a
volcanic island. The volcano exploded long ago, tearing off its top half. What
remained was a curious oval-shaped island with fertile soil and one-of-a-kind
natural wonders such as Mount Halla’s crater lake called “Baengnokdam.”
Among
the unique and oddest attractions on Jeju are the many “dol hareubang” or stone
grandfather statues carved from blocks of basalt. The statues represent gods
wearing hats that protect the people of Jeju from demons. The dol hareubang are
the symbol of Jeju Island.
